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Brined Roast Turkey

Brine, Dine, and Shine

Years ago, I had found an incredible recipe for a brined roast turkey that sounded delicious. I had brined chicken and pork before but never turkey until now. But before I impart to you the recipe, let me first share a little story.

I remember the time I had made this roast turkey for my brother and his family. It was about five years ago on Christmas. We had taken a trip to visit them in New York. They wanted to have a turkey for Christmas dinner and I suggested that we brine it. They are always “game” (ha, ha – get it? Turkey? Game?) for new recipes so away to the store we went for the ingredients. They had gotten all the fixin’s and the turkey already, all we needed were a few spices.

When we returned, they pulled out this freakin' Godzilla sized turkey. I knew we would have to use some ingenuity on this one. It definitely was not going to fit back in the refrigerator in the brine. I told my brother it was no problem. We will just make up the brine, submerge the turkey in it, place the whole mixture in a clean portable cooler, and set it outside on the patio until we are ready to cook it. (By the way, the temperature outside was sub zero.)

Well, needless to say they absolutely loved the brined roast turkey and have made it that way since. The cooler idea worked great, and I have done it this way since then. (A clean 5 gallon bucket would do just as nicely also.)

A Little Chemistry About Brining:

“Brine” is simply defined as, “water saturated or nearly saturated with salt.” The science of brining meat is very simple. All meat contains salt water and by submerging it into a liquid that has a much higher concentration of salt, the brine mixture is absorbed into the meat.

When you add spices to the brine it is carried into the meat, flavoring it, as well as adding extra moisture to the meat which makes it extra juicy when served.

A very simple basic brine you can use for any meat is as follows: 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of kosher salt. The spices you prefer to add are up to you. Be imaginative and enjoy the most flavorful, juicy meat you’ve ever had.